


Dulcet

by yongbora



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, other members there but just cameos or mentioned, tbh idk how makeup works but pls bear with me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22364254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yongbora/pseuds/yongbora
Summary: Dulcet: “Sweet, honeyed, pleasant, in a gentle way, something in harmony with your taste or likings. It is never harsh.”Waking up with strawberry on her lips and no memory of how it got there quickly ruins the flavor for Handong. But maybe a chance to taste it again can change her mind.
Relationships: Han Dong | Handong/Kim Bora | SuA
Comments: 14
Kudos: 84
Collections: Dreamcatcher fanfics, dreamcatcher rarepairs 2k20





	Dulcet

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: 'strawberry'  
> T really just for a few swears here and there

It’s not often that Dreamcatcher gets to really _let loose_ for a night. So when Handong wakes up with a pounding headache, cottonmouth, and little to no memory of the night before, it’s definitely a foreign feeling to her. 

Having just finished with the KBS Open Concert filming a few days ago, and realizing they had a bit of break in schedules, they’d all decided on a night out. It sounded like a great idea at the time. And Handong’s sure she probably had a good time last night, but the way she feels right now is making her reconsider whether it was at all worth it.

Groaning, and definitely not wanting to deal with these consequences of whatever she might’ve done, she rolls over. Maybe some more sleep will help. Her hand lands on a water bottle laying in the bed with her, and she mentally thanks whoever had the sense to send her to bed with one since from the feel of things it probably wasn’t herself.

Deciding that the water is worth forcing her body to sit up, she does so and chugs some down. It’s only after half of it is gone that she notices the strange taste on her lips. Handong licks them again, deliberately this time. _Is that… strawberry?_ Another lick. Definitely strawberry, and not from a food. In fact her best guess is lip gloss. 

Confusion settles in. None of her own lip products have that flavor to them. How did she get that all over? Maybe she just borrowed one of the other girls’ lip glosses when they went out last night, and doesn’t remember since she doesn’t remember… anything really.

Filled with a sudden burst of anxious energy, she makes her way to the bathroom. What she sees in the mirror confirms her fears - most of the shine is gone from her lips from her licking, but it spreads further out around her mouth. Handong touches her finger to the shine, feeling the stickiness, and tastes that as well. 

Still strawberry. This definitely doesn’t look like she just borrowed makeup last night.

“Oh god, did I make out with someone last night?” Handong mutters to herself.

“Yep!” Handong jumps, barely stifling her scream down to a small yelp as she turns to Gahyeon, who’s suddenly materialized in the doorway. The younger woman just laughs lightly at her while she regains her composure. “You looked like you were really enjoying yourself too.”

Handong feels her face heat up at that comment. “What? Who?”

Gahyeon tilts her head, thinking. “Hmm, that I don’t remember.”

Maybe it’s weird for that to make Handong feel relief, but she can’t help it. Maybe it was just some random stranger from the club that she’ll never have to see again, and she can just move on like nothing happened. Gahyeon saw it but doesn’t seem phased, so she shouldn’t have to worry about anything being weird or-

“And if it makes you feel better, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a stranger.”

Handong freezes. _Fuck_. “So you’re saying… you think it was one of the members?”

Gahyeon nods, seeming not to notice how tense Handong suddenly is. “With dark hair. I remember dark hair. That’s about it though, I don’t remember much of last night either to be honest.”

Handong quickly runs through the other members in her head. Images of Bora, Siyeon, Yoohyeon, and Yubin flash by with their black hair, and even Minji with her brunette color has a pretty dark shade right now. She groans. “Gahyeon, that’s literally everyone in the group right now except _us_.” 

Gahyeon’s smile falls as she turns thoughtful, likely running through each of the member’s faces now too. “Huh, I guess so.”

Handong drops her face in her hands. “Shit.”

That earns another laugh from the youngest. “Hey, I wouldn’t worry about it. I doubt any of the unnies would be bothered by it. Besides, they might not even remember either, since I think _everyone_ got pretty trashed. Minji-unnie and Bora-unnie were still taking care of us - I kinda vaguely remember them gathering us up to go home - but I’d be surprised if they aren’t also missing some details of the night.”

Handong focuses on her breathing, trying to let out some of the tension building throughout her body. Her roommate is _almost_ right. For most of the members she could handle this turn of events. If they remember, it becomes a joke, and if not, she just doesn’t worry about it anymore. 

But if it was _that_ member, the one she’s been hiding a crush on for the better part of a year? That, she doesn’t know if she could handle. Especially since that particular member is probably the one most likely to be able to do something like that even if she was mostly sober, and who’d be able to effortlessly play it off, all while Handong hopelessly pines for her.

Fuck, what if it actually _was_ Bora that her dumb drunk self made out with last night?

She thinks of Bora’s beautiful face, those perfect lips that she’s caught herself staring at multiple times before… and yeah, drunk Dongie just might do something like that. 

The Chinese woman has known about and accepted her crush for a while now, but that realization came slowly. A strange feeling that welled up in her whenever Bora would take care of her, or look at her in that intense way she sometimes does. Even the times she knew for sure the looks were in jest or (at least mainly) for the fans, she couldn’t stop the fluttering in her stomach. 

It only grew as she noticed more little things about her. As she watched the older woman take care of and play with the other members, or how focused she would get when delving into her passions. The way her hard work never faltered, no matter the day, the time, or how long they’d been at it. 

And the way she always seems so attentive to Handong herself, knowing how to give her exactly what she needs. Sure, she plays around with her just like she does with the others. But Handong feels like Bora had a soft spot for her, one she knows the Chinese woman needs, able to tone down her usual loud and playful behavior to just be… present with Handong. 

Handong had long since decided that she was probably just imagining that last part. Wishful thinking and all. But that didn’t stop her from feeling it, nor the warmth that erupts in her chest whenever Bora is that attentive to her.

So the thought that she might’ve ruined all of that in one night - in a drunken stupor that she doesn’t even remember, no less - makes her want to just curl up in a ball and never face the rest of the group again. Sure, she knows that if Bora was indeed the one she kissed, if she doesn’t reciprocate Handong’s feelings she’d be able to brush it off no problem and continue their friendship as before. 

But Handong? She’s not sure how she would react to finally knowing her crush was one-sided. If nothing else, she doubts she could just continue things the way they are, with all the little affections her heart likes to read too much into. And losing any part of that close relationship with Bora (even for her own good) is easily more terrifying to her than continuing in this limbo where she never finds out if they could be something more or not. 

“Gahyeon-ah, you’re _sure_ you don’t remember who it was?”

The younger woman seems to pick up on the anxiety in Handong’s tone now, as she replies a bit more seriously. “Ah, no. I’m sure. I think I only remembered it was you because I was surprised you were the one doing that and not one of the others. Sorry unnie.”

Handong sighs heavily through her nose. It’s a fair point. This definitely is something usually expected to be more likely from Minji, or Siyeon, even Yoohyeon.

Or Bora.

She fights back the urge to curse. She doesn’t want to accidentally take anything out on Gahyeon when it’s obviously not her fault that Handong had to go be a dumbass last night. 

“It’s okay.” Handong pauses to turn towards Gahyeon. “But this stays between us, alright?”

Confusion seeps into the younger girl’s features. “But, wh-”

Handong doesn’t even let her finish the question. “ _Please_ . I want it on roommate’s honor. Not a word, to _anyone_.”

It’s clear that Gahyeon has plenty of questions sitting right on the tip of her tongue. But Handong finds herself yet again thanking her lucky stars for such a great roommate when she swallows them down and nods.

“Okay.”

Handong gives a small smile to the other girl, nodding and turning back to the mirror to clean off the rest of the shine on her face. As she wipes it off, the last bit of lingering fruitiness settles on her tongue.

She’s really starting to dislike the taste of strawberry.

* * *

The rest of the day is… uneventful, really. Everyone wakes up in varying states of distress from the sheer amount of alcohol they all consumed, but nobody brings up any intra-group kissing.

Handong does experience a small heart attack when Bora plops down next her on the couch, grabbing her arm to drape it around herself as she snuggles up to the younger woman’s side. It feels like her heart stops for a few seconds, wondering if this is when _it_ gets brought up. But when she realizes Bora isn’t gonna say anything, she just wants to cuddle, Handong reminds herself that this is normal. In actuality it would probably be more concerning if Bora _didn’t_ do this with her.

So she forces herself to calm back down, settling into the embrace. The very normal, usual embrace, she reminds herself. And as usual, she tries not to overthink the gentle squeeze Bora gives Handong’s torso. Or the the warm feeling that rises in her chest at the sound of Bora’s content hum when they’ve gotten comfortable.

And she tries especially hard to ignore the phantom taste of strawberry her memory places on her lips.

* * *

Handong tries to forget about it. She really does. But the mystery lingers in her mind even as a few days pass and still no one brings anything up. Every little thing makes her think about it, and she reads it into any interaction she has with everyone besides Gahyeon.

Has Yubin been especially quiet around her lately? Was that little sly smirk on Minji’s face directed at her? What about that time Siyeon and Yoohyeon were snickering quietly about something, but just politely brushed Handong off when she asked about it?

Have Bora’s looks always been _that_ intense?

It’s probably just her and her paranoid thoughts linking everything, but the what-ifs eat her up. She can’t stand not knowing - not knowing who knows about it, not knowing what anyone who does know thinks about it, and most of all not knowing who it was in the first place.

So as much as part of her screams at herself to just let it go, Handong knows she can’t. She needs to know. Just to put herself at ease, if nothing else. But she can’t be direct about it, not without Bora finding out. And if the dancer was the one she kissed, she definitely doesn’t want her realizing that Handong is asking around about what happened, at least not before Handong figures it out and can consider how to approach her.

Discreet. That’s what she needs to be. So Handong decides to start an investigation.

* * *

The first two are the easiest. 

Handong starts with ‘97 line, since with their closets being out in the common area she has easy access to them. All it takes is one night that she stays on the couch a little after the others go to bed, and she can poke around.

That being said, it’s probably not a good sign that she still almost gets caught. 

She pretends to be engrossed in something on her phone, absentmindedly saying goodnight as everyone leaves. After waiting a bit longer to give them time to come back for anything they forgot, she gets up to make her move. But just as she pulls out Yubin’s makeup bag, Handong hears a door open behind her.

Panicking, Handong drops the bag on top of Yubin’s laundry and awkwardly leans to the side, as if stretching. At the sound of her name she acts startled and turns back towards Yoohyeon’s voice. The question in the younger woman’s tone is obvious, so Handong tries to play it off.

“Oh hey, just wrapped up so I’m feeling a bit stiff. Stretching out a bit before heading to bed. What’s got you back up, couldn’t sleep?”

Yoohyeon’s expression only turns more confused at that, her eyebrows furrowing a bit. Handong resists the urge to groan at herself. _Yeah, great job Handong. You don’t sound weird or suspicious at all_. 

“Uh.. okay. But no, just getting some water,” Yoohyeon says. Handong stretches a bit more as she waits for the taller girl to move, but instead she lingers another moment, her eyes flickering between the Chinese woman and the closet spaces she’s oddly close to.

Her stomach drops when Yoohyeon’s gaze seems to land on the out-of-place makeup bag. _Don’t notice don’t notice don’t notice don’t noti-_

Suddenly Yoohyeon jerks her head away and walks over to the kitchen, as if snapping out of… something. Handong watches her warily but she just casually gets some water before going back to her room. A light “good night, Dongie,” her last words as she disappears behind the door.

It’s normal but it’s not. That “good night” was noticeably brighter after their awkward moment. Or was it? Maybe she’s just reading into everything too much again, like she has been all week. 

Handong shakes her head. This is exactly why she’s doing this - to put all these worries to rest. She digs through Yubin and Yoohyeon’s belongings quickly, not wanting to risk getting caught again on what should be the simplest members to check.

She finds a few lip products that could be what she’s looking for, but none with the right flavor. Carefully putting everything back where she found it, a heavy sigh escapes her.

Well, two down, three to go in the hunt for the taste that's haunting her. 

* * *

With Siyeon, the opportunity presents itself.

Handong finishes getting ready first that morning, so she settles on the couch to wait. It isn’t long before she’s joined by the main vocalist, her travel makeup bag in hand as she finishes touching up her face.

At Handong’s look, Siyeon offers up a quick explanation. “Minji-unnie was hogging all the space at the dresser.”

Handong nods and returns her focus to her phone. But she can't help eyeing the older woman in her peripheral vision, hoping to catch a glimpse of what she's looking for as Siyeon pulls various things out of her bag.

“Ah, almost forgot!” Siyeon jumps up, startling Handong and heading back into her room in a flash. Handong’s eyes are immediately drawn to the bag left behind, laying open on next to her. She looks between it and the bedroom door a couple times.

If she’s quick…

Her hand dives into the bag before Handong can second guess herself, rifling through it to see what’s there. An unflavored lip balm, some lipstick, nothing she’s looking for. She adds her other hand to dig a little deeper but is quickly interrupted. 

“Anything specific you need?”

“Oh!” Handong pauses her search to look up at an amused Siyeon. “No, I was just curious what kind of lip glosses you have.” She smiles sheepishly. Ugh, she just had to get too caught up to pay attention to her surroundings again, didn’t she?

Siyeon, for her part, seems unphased. “I doubt you’ll find what you’re looking for in there”

Handong’s smile falters a bit. Didn’t she just say she wasn’t looking for anything in particular? “What? Why do you say that?”

Siyeon’s lips lift a little at the corner into a small smile. “It’s only pretty basic stuff. Not very many flavors.”

The older woman’s smile grows a bit as she turns and walks away again, this time taking the bag with her. Handong’s jaw drops a little at her words. 

There’s no way that’s anything more than a weird coincidence, right?

Handong’s tense hands grip the blanket over her legs, eyes darting around to make sure no one else had been watching that interaction. There’s no way Siyeon knows what happened and is choosing to tease her like this instead of saying anything directly. No way. 

She licks her lips, and while she knows there’s nothing there, Handong still tastes that damn strawberry flavor. 

* * *

_Please be Minji_.

Handong has a hard time coming up with a good way to check Minji’s makeup, because that’s really the only thought her mind can maintain when she tries. _Please be Minji so we can just laugh this off and move on_. 

There haven’t been any good chances to get into Minji’s room alone, either her or one of her roommates is always there when Handong thinks she might have a chance to snoop around. And no excuses she can come up with to get into the room alone sound innocent to her. 

In the end she decides to just… go for it. She can’t come up with anything better and if she waits any longer she might actually go insane. The members still seem to be acting a little weird around her, and Handong has long since stopped trying to figure out if she’s imagining that or not. 

So when she sees Siyeon and Yubin both out of the room one afternoon, watching a show together, Handong takes a deep breath and lightly knocks on Minji’s door.

“Come in!”

Handong offers what she hopes is a natural looking smile as she enters the room and pushes the door mostly shut behind her. Minji’s own smile brightens upon seeing her.

“Dongie! Need something?”

Handong gestures towards Minji and Siyeon’s dressing table. “Hey unnie, I was just wondering if you had some lip gloss I could use? Mine’s out.”

The older woman’s smile cocks to the side, turning a bit playful. Handong’s expecting a quip about where she’s going tonight that she needs more makeup ( _“what, got a hot date tonight, miss Dongie?”_ ) but that’s not what she gets. 

Instead, Minji just pops right up and joins her at the dressing table. “Sure! This is really the only one I have right now, but you’re welcome to use it.” She grabs a tube and hands it over.

A bit baffled, but not one to question things seeming to go smoothly for once, Handong opens it without checking the flavor. No sense in dragging this out or giving Minji anything to wonder about.

As Handong applies it, Minji smirks at her in a way that concerns her. Makes her wonder if she’s found her answer. 

But when she finishes up, tasting the very distinct, _not fruity_ flavor and trying to mask her disappointment, Minji’s amusement doesn’t seem to falter. The older woman takes it back with a devilish smile. 

“Not really a fan of vanilla, huh?”

Unwilling to think too much about what the leader might know to make her act like this, the Chinese woman only offers a noncommittal hum and a small “thank you” before fleeing the room.

Handong decides then that she _hates_ the taste of strawberry.

* * *

“So now it’s either Bora-unnie, or I was wrong and it actually was some stranger you ran into that night.”

Handong nods forlornly at her roommate’s summary of what she’d just told her. A brief pause follows, probably as Gahyeon processes the info. Or more likely, as she internally laughs at the mess Handong has gotten herself into. 

“That’s great!” 

Handong freezes at that response. She stares at her roommate for any sign that she’s joking or teasing her, or that she meant it in a sarcastic way. Nothing. Just her big bright grin that Handong had never until this very moment found annoying.

“What? Did you even listen to what I just told you?”

Gahyeon’s grin only grows. “Of course! And this is perfect. Now you know it was her, so you can just go talk to her about it.”

“No! Absolutely not. I just want to figure it out.”

“You already have! I don’t see why you can’t just _talk_ to-”

“I said _no_ , Gahyeon.”

It’s then that Gahyeon finally deflates a bit, sobered by Handong’s serious tone. Regret immediately swoops in for the Chinese woman, but not enough to change her mind.

“Ah… I’m sorry. But I can’t just… _ask_ her about it like that. I-...” Handong gestures helplessly, unable to articulate her exact fears. “...I just can’t.”

The maknae pouts at her, and Handong has to look away to avoid giving in. That face just isn’t fair in disagreements like this.

“Look, can you please just go check their room for me? See if they’re in there? Then if not I can just go put this to rest,” Handong asks.

“Unnie…”

“Please.”

Handong can feel the disappointment rolling off Gahyeon at this point. She does her best to ignore it.

“Fine.” Gahyeon gets up with a huff, leaving Handong alone for a minute.

When Gahyeon returns, it’s with angry and determined steps. She grabs Handong’s arm, pulling her out of the room and towards Bora’s.

“Coast is clear detective, go do your snooping.”

“You’re sure?” Something feels off.

“Relax. Yoohyeon’s right over there with Siyeon, you’ll be fine.” Gahyeon pushes her towards the slightly open door, Handong resisting more and more.

“Wait, where’s Bora though?”

“Right where she needs to be, now _go_.”

Handong stops in her tracks at those words, but it’s too little too late. With a shove, Gahyeon sends her stumbling into Bora’s room. When she turns around to confront her all she gets is the door slamming shut.

Cursing under her breath, Handong whisper-shouts through the door. “What the fuck? Gahyeon! Lee Gahyeon I swear to-”

“Dongie? …Everything alright?”

Every cell in Handong’s body tenses at the sound of that voice behind her. She slowly turns around, finding Bora, now standing next to her dresser and watching her with a slightly worried look.

Oh. 

She’s going to _kill_ Gahyeon. 

Handong clears her throat. “Unnie. Uh, no everything’s fine.” She chuckles awkwardly. “Gahyeon, you know, just being Gahyeon.” Her voice fades. Now how does she get out of this without being even more awkward?

“Oh, okay. She mentioned you needed something?”

Handong’s eyes widen. “Oh, right! Right, uh... “ _Lee Gahyeon you are_ so _dead._ “I was wondering if I could borrow your lip gloss real quick? Mine’s out.” 

Bora raises an eyebrow at that, and Handong curses herself for not thinking of something else in her panic. Of course. Why would she need lip gloss at this time of night? She’s even already changed into her pajamas. At this point she should be asking for makeup remover, not more to add on.

Thankfully (or not, Handong can’t tell yet), Bora only lets them sit in the silence for a moment before she pulls open her drawer. Grabbing a tube of lip gloss, she leans back against the dresser, casually spinning the tube between her fingers. Her eyes stay trained on her hand as the tense silence returns.

“You know, if you wanted to taste my lips again so badly, you could’ve just asked.”

Handong’s stomach drops. She _knows_. How long? Has this entire week just been a game to her? “You remember?”

The shorter woman twirls the tube of lip gloss again. Her eyes find Handong’s, a fire brewing in them that makes Handong’s stomach churn. “Hard to forget, something like that.”

Handong just feels lost. What does she mean by that? More friendly teasing? ...something more that Handong can’t bring herself to hope for?

Part of her wants to reciprocate, to see if it does go somewhere, but she can’t do it. What if she’s reading it all wrong and this is just more of Bora being utterly unphased by things that would embarrass anyone else? More of her crossing lines that just… aren’t lines for someone like her. Merely fun and loose boundaries for her to push and play with. 

She gives up, unable to take anything but what she sees as the safe route.

“Right. Yeah, I-... I’m sorry about that. I was so drunk, I mean, I don’t remember it happening at all, and-...” Handong trails off at the look on Bora’s face. The way her confidence slips, sliding off her features like a curtain falling away to reveal disappointment and… something else beneath it. It stops the younger woman in her tracks. Now what does _that_ mean? She wouldn’t be that upset if it was just that Handong wasn’t playing along, right?

A moment passes in silence, letting Handong’s apprehension grow, before Bora is the one to break it.

“I’m not.”

“...What?”

“Sorry. I’m not sorry that it happened.” determination edges into Bora’s voice and expression, and Handong’s heart rate picks up accordingly. This feels different. She even starts daring to hope.

Regardless of that building feeling, she isn’t sure what to do next. She’s caught off guard. She freezes, like a deer caught in headlights. Only she isn’t sure whether the headlights are a car about to smash into her, breaking her, or a beacon of hope of what she’s wanted for so long finally coming to embrace her.

Seeming to understand that the younger woman isn’t really functioning properly at the moment, Bora is again the one to continue. She holds out the lip gloss.

“Well, you’ve made it this far, aren’t you gonna try mine?”

Handong eyes the shorter woman’s outstretched hand warily. “If you knew what was going on this whole time, why didn’t you just tell me? Why let me go through the rest of the group?”

Bora’s playfulness returns at that. She shrugs. “You seemed nervous about coming to me. I didn’t want to scare you by bringing it up, or to interfere with your, investigation I guess. It was such a sneaky one too, if I hadn’t remembered that night either I probably wouldn’t have suspected a thing.”

Heat flushes Handong’s cheeks. All this time she was trying so hard to be discreet, and Bora was just watching and waiting the whole time. 

Fighting the urge to cry out of embarrassment, and the heartbreak she’s worried is coming, she tries to get herself out of what’s next. “Okay, well, since I know what who it was now, I figure it’s time to-” she starts edging herself away towards the door, only for Bora to cut her off once she catches on to what the Chinese woman is doing.

“No!” The exclamation is loud. Frantic, even. It works, stopping Handong who looks at her with wide eyes. Bora quickly recovers her relaxed tone. “I mean, no. You can’t just end an investigation without finishing it properly. What if my memory of that night is hazier than I think it is? Only one way to be sure.”

Handong stares, trying to read her intentions. Is she really this committed to playing this whole thing out? Does she still not see how much this is affecting Handong, how nervous she is? The younger woman’s eyes flicker back and forth between the lip gloss, still held out for her, and Bora’s hopeful face. 

That’s a mistake. The black haired woman is pouting a little, her entire expression the perfect picture of the word “please.” Handong curses the crush she’s been nursing on this woman. How weak she is for her. She doesn’t hardly have a choice now. 

Hesitantly, she reaches out, grabbing onto the bottom of the tube. She pulls it towards her, only for Bora to keep hold of the top, pulling the wand out and keeping it.

Bora slowly brings the wand up to her own lips, carefully applying a generous layer of the gloss, all without her eyes ever leaving Handong’s shocked ones. Looking up from watching Bora do this, Handong meets that stare, the question obvious on her face.

Bora sets the lip gloss aside, stepping a little closer. “I’m just helping out. The best way to test if the flavor is the same after all, would be to try it from the same place you first tasted it.”

As she speaks, Handong’s eyes trail back down to Bora’s lips. They stay there transfixed on the newly applied shine. She hates it. Hates the way they draw her in. Hates the way they make a small voice in her say, “fuck it. Screw the potential consequences. Just go for it.” Unable to look away even as Bora waits for a response and the silence stretches on, she barely registers herself licking her own lips as she stares. 

It’s the small beginnings of that trademark smirk on the edges of Bora’s mouth that snaps Handong out of it. She rips her gaze away from the glimmer of temptation and stands up straight, only now realizing she’d been starting to lean forward a little.

“No.”

Handong tries to ignore the pang in her heart when Bora’s expression falls sharply in response. She really does.

“No, Bora, I can’t-... I can’t do this. Not with you.”

Hurt flashes on Bora’s face, and at the sight of it settling into those beautiful eyes Handong feels her heart crack. But she presses on. She knows letting this game go any farther might shatter it completely.

She knows she needs to explain though. Protecting herself or not, she can’t let Bora think it’s something personal about her, or because Handong doesn’t like her, or something like that. A confession rises to the back of her throat, words she’s wanted to say to the older woman for months. But despite the fact that she might’ve already outed her feelings if Bora just thinks about what she’s already said, the words don’t come. The same fear that’s held her back this whole time settles in as a lump in her throat, choking back any further words of explanation. Any explicit admission of her feelings.

“I-...” she swallows, the lump of fear only rising. “I can’t do this and… and pretend that it’s all just fun playing around,” she manages. Unable to hold the eye contact, her gaze drops to the floor.

The silence that follows feels suffocating as she waits for a response. 

“Dongie.”

Nevermind, this feels worse. Handong ignores the call. How does Bora expect her to look her in the eyes again right now? Or ever again for that matter? Maybe she wasn’t able to explicitly state her feelings, but her hint was pretty clear, and the mortification at that is sinking all the way into Handong’s bones. Tears boil up at the corner of her vision despite her desperate efforts to hold them back. To hold herself together.

“Dong-ah, please.” The feeling of a hand on her cheek, carefully rubbing away the few tears that escaped, is enough to surprise Handong into looking up. _When did she get so close?_

“I get it. You’re trying to protect yourself from me. But I promise, you don’t need to.”

Handong searches for any hint of the playfulness from before, _any_ sign of this being some sort of joke. But Bora’s expression has softened into one of tender concern, with a sincerity in it Handong hasn’t seen since she walked in on Bora gently comforting Gahyeon about some horrible comments she’d taken to heart.

Bora pulls her in, and the way their bodies mold together perfectly makes Handong lightheaded. She stares at the shorter woman's face, at just how _close_ she is right now, at the hope shining through her expression, and can feel her resolve to say no melting away.

Bora's gaze drops to her lips, but still she doesn't make a move, waiting for Handong to decide. It's only after a moment of feeling the intensity of that stare that Handong can't take it anymore. Lifting her hand up to the back of Bora's neck, she pulls her in, finally capturing those lips with her own.

Bora, for her part, doesn't miss a beat. Quickly but gently she takes the lead, and Handong surrenders to it. Her brain short-circuits. Feeling warmth extend all the way through her to the tips of her toes, all her mind is filled with is Bora, Bora… _Bora._

And that taste of strawberry.

After Bora pulls away, it takes Handong a moment to open her eyes. When she does, part of her expects Bora to be watching her, that smirk already in place. But instead she sees that the older woman's eyes are still closed, lips still parted, looking just as dazed as Handong feels.

Her heart flutters. Handong knows she’s whipped for this woman, but it’s starting to look like Bora’s got it just as bad. A little giggle escapes her, and it seems to startle Bora back to reality.

She smiles, and Handong’s mind goes blank. There’s depth of emotion there that makes her heart rate pick up even more than it did for the kiss. Relief, excitement, that hope from before, there’s so much swimming in Bora’s eyes that she wants to dive in and immerse herself in it.

She’s brought back by Bora gently tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Do you understand, now? What I mean?”

Handong nods slowly, her hands resting at Bora’s waist unconsciously gripping her tighter. She does have one question though. “How long?”

Bora sighs. “Little over a year now.” She shrugs slightly, looking down. “At least, that’s when I realized it.”

Handong’s eyes widen a little at that. Bora’s wanted this, even longer than she has? That whole time Handong was so scared, holding it all in, and yet… there Bora was, doing the exact same thing. It just doesn’t seem like her to hide it for so long instead of, well, doing something like what she just did tonight.

She mentally shakes it off. They’ll have plenty of time to talk about all of that now. For tonight, she just wants to enjoy that they’ve made it this far. 

Handong pulls the shorter woman into a tight embrace. “Well, we’re here now. That’s what matters, right?”

She feels Bora nod against her, burrowing deeper into the hug. Handong squeezes her even tighter. _Cute_.

When she pulls away, Bora looks up, hopeful but suddenly nervous again.

“So... girlfriends?”

Handong smirks, pretending to seriously think about it. “Take me on a date first, then maybe I’ll consider it.”

Bora pouts, and Handong grins at her first victory of the night, finally having her chance to make Bora flustered after all the time she spent reeling from Bora’s advances. Even so, she can’t resist leaning down to kiss it away.

Then she leans over to whisper into the older woman’s ear. “Don’t worry though, I already know what my answer will be.”

The blinding smile Handong gets in return for that is more than worth giving up her little victory.

And when Bora pulls her down for yet another kiss, this time parting her lips to deepen it…

Handong decides that the taste of strawberry isn’t so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> my debut dc fic! thank you so much for reading 🥺 and a big thank you to richie for putting this ficfest together. this really helped motivate me to finally finish a dc fic, so now i'm hoping it'll also help me get going on some of the other dc ideas i've been working on for... way too long now. 
> 
> feel free to hmu @yongbora_ on twt or to break in my cc @ https://curiouscat.me/yongbora if you wanna chat or yell about ggs


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